Footprints in the Snow
by Transformers 0
Summary: A prequel oneshot about Deets when she was a toddler. She and her two big brothers spend an afternoon playing in the snow! Might cause Cuteness Overload!


**Here's another prequel oneshot! This time it's quite light-hearted.**

 **And it focuses on Deets and her older brothers, which she mentioned in episode 23,** _ **ZG**_ **.**

 **She doesn't say how many older brothers she has, but I'm just going with 2.**

 **Oh and** _ **please remember**_ **that Deets has a real name – it's** _ **Sarah**_ **.**

 **Finally, this oneshot is NOT set in the show canon. It is set in my AU.**

* * *

 **Footprints in the Snow**

Sarah giggled as she raced outside to play in the snow. The 4 year old girl began to look for the rest of her siblings – two older brothers called Andrew (12) and Fredrick (10). Andrew was very close to his youngest sibling, while Fredrick preferred to hang out by himself and just remark on the oddities of his big brother and little sister. She finally found them near the forest clearing. Andrew and Fredrick were locked in a snowball fight, and both had stalemated. When she trudged into the open, both stopped.

"Howdy sis!" Andrew called in delight. Fredrick was about to speak when he observed something interesting about his little sister.

"Sarah. You are running around barefoot… in the snow," he stated pointedly, his exasperated gaze focused on the little girl's unshod feet.

"Uh-huh," she giggled in response.

"You know you take this "country girl" act to the extreme sometimes," Fred commented. Andrew interrupted, "That's how she is, Fred, and to be honest I wouldn't wish my baby sister to change for the world. Don't fret Sarah, you look prettier like that."

Sarah gave a shy smile and looked down at her feet, wiggling her toes. The snow softly crunched underneath and she spun happily round in a circle. The coldness of the snow wasn't as sore as she was told many times it would be. The deep bits where the snow went above her ankles felt more like a white blanket of coolness covering her bare feet. She rushed and pranced around for a few more minutes, delightedly looking at the footprints she had made all over the clearing. It felt simply wonderful!

Her brother Fred, however, had decided to use that time to sneak up on Andrew with a big ball of snow and smash him in the face with it! "Oh come on! Why the face?! What tactic do you get from that?!" Andrew squealed. Fred just gave him a pointed look as another snowball was tossed at Andrew's stomach. "Never mind," he sputtered, bits of snow stuck in his teeth, "Ask a stupid question."

Another big snowball thrown by Fredrick hit him in the throat. The ball disintegrated and scraps of snow slid into under his clothes. "Oh it's ever so cold!" he groaned. He rolled behind a bush. "Revenge will be mine!" he shouted. He quickly formed a pile of snowballs and popped up twice to through four of them. He landed one successful hit on Fred, who retaliated with a scattershot of three balls. Andrew managed to dodge all of it, but another scattershot scored a hit.

"It's on, brother! It's on!" Fredrick taunted friskily. He did a little mocking jig. Andrew had secretly rolled another large snowball behind the bush and then he suddenly threw it… but Fredrick dodged.

Sarah squeaked as the white, chilly sphere crashed into her face.

"Sorry! Sorry!" the eldest brother called. Sarah wiped her face with her sleeve and started fumbling around, attempting to make projectiles of her own. However, before she could conjure a single snowball, Andrew dragged her away from more shots fired by Fredrick. Brother and sister hid behind a wide tree. "When I say go, we charge at him and bring him down, got it?" said Andrew. "Got it!" giggled Sarah.

"Go!"

With a battle cry, the two siblings jumped out and charged at Fredrick, who just came to realize that he was about to be bowled over… SMASH! Playful roars and mocking cries filled the air. "Oh no! You've trapped me in the land of the Ice Unicorns!" Fredrick chuckled.

"Got you!" Sarah grinned cheekily.

"Avast, you cheese-head!" whooped Andrew. Fred just stared, still pinned underneath his little sister and older brother. "Avast, you cheese-head? When did YOU start talking like THAT?" he groaned in embarrassment.

"I'm a hero. That's how heroes talk…" Andrew replied honestly with a shrug. "Can I get out of the frozen water cage now?" Fred inquired, turning to his sister. She nodded, crawling off him. Andrew, however, was quietly focusing on something. "Hello? Space-head?" Fred called, spitting out snow. "Time's up. We'd better head back. A blizzard is coming soon," the eldest stated. "How can you tell?" asked Fred. "Observed the sky lately?" Andrew spoke, rolling his eyes, "Mom and Dad always say to be wary of your surroundings."

"Like Sarah pays any attention," Fred grumbled, pointing behind his back to the youngest sibling, who had busied herself with rolling around and stamping footprints in the snow… again. "Geez, she's only 4! Give her a break, man!" Andrew yelled in exasperation, "Besides, home first, argue later. Sarah! We're heading home! Want me to carry you?"

Sarah got up off the ground. "No. I can walk," she stated, shuffling her bare feet through the snow. They all started to walk back home – Andrew leading the way, Sarah toddling behind, and Fred bringing up the rear.

* * *

As they neared the yard, trudging along, Fredrick stated that there were 3 more months of winter to go. "Are you really going to go barefoot outside again?" he asked his baby sister. She nodded profusely. "Ooh, challenge accepted!" noted Andrew in a sing-song voice. They entered the gates. "You really are insanely different, sis. Not that that's bad…" Fred remarked, marching on ahead.

Sarah stopped toddling and tugged on her big brother's arm, getting his attention.

"Yes, Sarah?"

"Being different is not bad, is it?"

"Oh Sarah, you are different. But so is everybody else," Andrew smiled.

"Everybody is different?" inquired the little girl. She hadn't known that.

"That's what we all have in common," replied her big brother.

"Okay – now I'm confused," stated Sarah, looking upwards and thinking hard.

Her brother laughed.

"Let's try again. One thing that is certain is that everyone is special in different ways."

"Oh…" mumbled Sarah, slowly starting to nod her little head in understanding.

"Come on, we'd better head inside now," Andrew said, gently dragging his sister by the hand. They trodded through the lawn and onto the porch. Andrew opened the door for Sarah. "Girls first. And wipe your feet thoroughly on the mat," he instructed, following after her. As he continued on his way to the kitchen to prepare some cookies and hot chocolate, Sarah sat on the couch next to the fireplace and grabbed her unicorn doll at the front window. Standing on the couch so she could show Buttercup (the unicorn) what was outside, she spoke to him, "Buttercup, me and my big brothers had a radical day outside in the snow. Fred turned into the monstrous sasquatch snowman – who throws snowballs at people – and me and Andrew got the help of the Ice Unicorns to take him down!"

Sarah then put on her Buttercup impersonation voice. "That sounded awesome. Do you wish to explore outside again soon?" Buttercup asked. "Oh yes!" Sarah replied, "I want to do that again – and I want to do it, exploring with no shoes or socks on, feeling the pretty snow on my feet!"

"Oh the snow is pretty – but not as pretty as you," complimented Buttercup. "Why thank you Buttercup, you're too kind!" giggled Sarah, gazing at the winter wonderland. Even in the blizzard the world around her was dazzling. A voice from the kitchen brought her out of her reverie.

"Sarah! Tea's ready!" her mother called.

"Coming Mummy!" the little girl answered.

She placed Buttercup down on the window sill, but before she hopped off the couch to join the rest of her family, she gazed at one more thing. A picture that would stay in her memory forever, reminding her of the pure joy of this day.

Her footprints in the snow.

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 **Yep. I lifted the name of the unicorn, Buttercup, from the character in** _ **Toy Story 3**_ **. Classic character, classic film.**

 **The dialogue of about how "everyone is different", I lifted that from episode 24,** _ **Dilemma**_ **. In this story, big brother Andrew speaks to young Deets (Sarah) about how everyone is different and special** **– words** **which she'd repeat to Ed years later.**

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